A principal strategy currently employed in imparting odors to consumer products is the admixing of the fragrance directly into the product. There are, however, several drawbacks to this strategy. The fragrance material may be too volatile, resulting in fragrance loss during manufacturing, storage, and use. Many fragrance materials are also unstable over time. This again results in loss during storage.
In some cases, fragrances are micro-encapsulated or treated with cyclodextrins to form inclusion complexes to help decrease volatility and improve stability. However, these methods are for a number of reasons often not successful. In addition, cyclodextrins may be too expensive for commercial processes.
In many consumer products, it is desirable for the fragrance to be released slowly over time. Microencapsulation and cyclodextrins have been used to provide slow-release properties, however, they are subject to the same limitations as above.
The present invention provides a solution for these and other problems.